Generally speaking you don't want to rely on technology at all in your disaster toolkit, but that doesn't mean you can't make use of an old smartphone (or your current one for that matter). Before the cell networks are down, here's what you should load up on your smartphone.

If you don't have an adequate emergency kit in your home, here's how to put one together…
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Get a First Aid App to Guide You Through Emergencies

One of the most important parts of your disaster kit is your first aid kit, but that doesn't really do much good if you don't know how to actually use the materials inside. We're fans of the official Red Cross First Aid app (the British Red Cross app is also fantastic) and Pocket First Aid & CPR as an easy means to always have an encyclopedia of medical procedures in your pocket.

Store Your Important Documents on Your Phone

One thing every disaster kit should have is a set of your important documents. These include copies of things like IDs, birth certificates, or escape routes. While you want to keep those physical copies, you also want to keep a digital backup. If you want to store those files in the cloud, we'd recommend doing so with an encrypted Dropbox folder. Then, just grab a copy of the Dropbox mobile app so you'll have access to them from anywhere, even if you can't get to you computer. Likewise, you can keep a hard copy of those documents on your phone as well. Just make sure you have something to view them with (a free e-reader app like Kindle will do the trick).

If recent security and privacy concerns about Dropbox make you think twice about using the popular…
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Download Offline Maps to Get Around

One of the most important things things to have during an emergency is a map. You never know what's going to happen, so being able to quickly look at your surrounding area is important. The problem is that most smartphone map apps rely on GPS and data to get you the map. That's not always available in an emergency. Thankfully, you can prep ahead and download offline maps in the Google Maps app by simply typing "Okay Maps" in the search bar. This saves the local map that you're currently viewing to your device so you can retrieve anytime regardless of data or GPS access. If you want to be doubly sure you have those maps, an app like Galileo Offline Maps will provide that peace of mind.

Android: If you've updated to the latest Google Maps for Android and miss the ability to save…
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Find Your Family and Friends with GPS

They're a bit odd to use all the time, but an app that tracks your friends and family's location is incredibly helpful after a disaster. You often can't text message or call during a disaster, so your best bet to track someone down is with GPS, assuming it's working. You have a lot of choices for this, but we like Apple's Find My Friends, Android's Find My Friends! or the cross-platform Life360. Just remember to keep the apps off when you're not using them.

Always Know What to Do with Survival Apps

We've talked about how you can survive both in the wilderness and in an urban environment before, but chances are you can't really remember everything you need to know. So, it's a good idea to load up your smartphone with apps to help you out. A good place to start is the Army Survival Guide (Android/iOS) which includes pretty much everything you'll ever need to know about basic survival techniques. Survival isn't just building fires though, you also need to know how to find food, which is why an app like Wild Edibles (Android/iOS) is handy. With it, you'll know exactly which wild plants you can eat to stay alive and which you can't.